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Sweet potatoes or yams? Trick question. Despite what millions of Americans (and many groceries) may call them, those dark orange, moist root vegetables that you roast in sugar syrup and top with marshmallows are not yams, just another type of sweet potato. True yams in the United States are few and far between, unless you’re shopping in a particularly well-stocked African or Latin American market. And if you want to get even more nerdy, sweet potatoes aren't really potatoes. True potatoes are tubers; sweet potatoes are roots (tubers are enlarged underground stems -- they sprout leaves; roots store nutrients for the plant -- they only sprout more roots). Plant geekery aside,...

Related "Thanksgiving" Articles

Sweet potatoes or yams? Trick question. Despite what millions of Americans (and many groceries) may call them, those dark orange, moist root vegetables that you roast in sugar syrup and top with marshmallows are not yams, just another type of sweet...

When I'm buried, I fear that my headstone will read: He Dry-Brined Turkeys. I started writing about this technique several years ago and every Thanksgiving it seems more cooks become converted. That's understandable — it's by far the easiest way to make a...

Still have questions about dry-brining your Thanksgiving turkey? I’ve been writing about dry-brining turkeys for several years now, and can guess what some of those might be. So here’s a shot at answering some of the most commonly asked ones.
How much...

Thanksgiving is behind us, and now the real NFL season begins.
This is the homestretch, when the story is either the favorites maintaining their momentum, or written-off teams rising to the challenge, then getting hot in the playoffs, the way the New...

The game was 20 years ago, yet Jim Garrett remembers it as if it happened last week. After all, his stroke sapped the strength from his legs, but it didn't rob him of his memories.
A father doesn't forget watching his son play quarterback for the...

Thanksgiving is still three weeks away, but guess what: If you want your first choice of a great specialty turkey, you'd better get your order in soon. The best birds fly off the shelves, particularly at the smaller butcher shops and markets. A couple...

Several generations of home electronics hobbyists, ham radio enthusiasts and computer nerds spent their growth-spurt years haunting their local RadioShack stores. They can't be happy about the company's long slide toward irrelevance and its looming...

For months now, Addie Lynn Fausett has been a little girl without friends.It’s not her fault: The 6-year-old from rural Utah suffers from a worsening brain disease that robs her of her free will, causing her to lash out — scratching, biting and pulling...

After spending 12 days surviving off raw fish while lost at sea, Hawaii fisherman Ron Ingraham, 67, had a simple request for the friends who gathered to greet him when the U.S. Coast Guard brought him home: Anybody got a cigarette?
Jerusula Manaba and...

Moviegoers may be too stuffed from Thanksgiving box office leftovers to flock to the theaters this weekend.
The weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is known for being one of the slowest in the film industry. And with no new wide releases,...

Audiences are still eating up "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part I," in a typically slow post-Thanksgiving weekend at the box office.
Heading toward its third consecutive week at No. 1, the Jennifer Lawrence-led Lionsgate franchise film...

So, are you getting ready for the big meal? For some of us, planning Thanksgiving dinner is an exciting "Iron Chef"-like challenge; for others, it's perhaps more of an exercise in self-torture. Whether you're hosting your first Thanksgiving or...

Craving something comforting? You can't go wrong with a rich gratin, dressing or tortino -- not to mention that they're perfect for Meatless Monday. Check out these ideas:
Polenta gratin with mushrooms and Fontina: Cook polenta the easy way using this...

When meats or vegetables are sautéed, seared or roasted, they leave behind browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. These browned bits can contain an amazing amount of flavor, and are often used to enhance the flavoring of the dish being...

Many people avoid using pearl and other small onions because of the daunting fact that the onions have to be peeled. Peeled like regular onions, a bowl of these could take an hour. But there’s a simple way to peel these tasty little guys, and the method...

By next year, congestion at Los Angeles International Airport one day out of each week could be as bad as it is on the day before Thanksgiving, according to a new study.
And, if travel demand continues to grow, by 2018 at least two days of the week...

Really nothing more than a combination of egg whites and sugar whipped to frothy peaks, meringue is a simple but key player in a variety of baking and pastry recipes.Use it as a topping, gracing lemon or Key lime pies, or maybe spread it over a cake as...

Thanksgiving means a table full of roast turkey, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and, depending on who your grandmother is, sweet potatoes with or without burned marshmallows on top. Ice cream may be the last thing on your holiday menu, unless...